


a beast and his teacup

by gwangmyungboy



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Family, Family Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Single Parent Suh Youngho | Johnny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24608632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwangmyungboy/pseuds/gwangmyungboy
Summary: there was always a pair of a man and his son came through the main door of taeil’s workplace wearing flashy striking costumes every time.and taeil, just like anybody else, couldn’t help but notice.
Relationships: Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 18
Kudos: 144





	a beast and his teacup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ttaddeuthae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ttaddeuthae/gifts).



> *written for my loml, miss mi’s birthday! have a warm birthday b! i hope you like this piece which is the fastest one i’ve ever written<3
> 
> (english isn’t my native language so excuse any grammatical errors)

  
  
  


taeil didn’t want to think how he ended up like this.

the artificial hair was itching to his nape, he had the urge to scratch the same spot at every five seconds. he was sure there was a red angry blotch bloomed because of it. the spot became sting as he kept scratching, his nails weren’t even that long. but he guessed that the repetitive motion was enough to make his skin irritated. he forced himself to stop minding the itch and steer his attention somewhere. it didn’t really work though, as he then noticed that the collar of his costume was so tight he felt suffocated. the laces attached to it made the costume felt stuffy. before he could send himself to hyperventilate because of his thoughts he closed his eyes and slowly inhaled a deep breath. _in and out, in and out_.

it should have been jungwoo who had to wear the costume. a week before _beauty and the beast_ movie premiered in their cinema, it had been decided among the coworkers that jungwoo was the chosen one to wear the costume as a part of the promotion strategy. simply because he lost on the _rock, paper, scissors_. it had always been a tradition in their workplace that if nobody willing to be a volunteer to wear some costume they would decide it with _rock, paper, scissors_. and taeyong, the manager, would never have a fuss with it as long as there was somebody ready to be sacrificed, as lame as it sounded. 

they didn’t do this ( _rock, paper, scissors_ ) often, as jungwoo most of the time willingly offered himself. he was a nice kid like that. but that day, after taeyong briefed them about the premier of the movie, there was no soft voice chirping, “ _i will do it, hyung!_ ” only silence filled the meeting room. doyoung who was sitting beside taeil, elbowed him slowly on the ribs to get his attention. when taeil turned his head to him, his coworker only gestured somewhere with his chin. taeil shifted his eyes and they landed on jungwoo who sat across them. the said young man still had his eyes on taeyong, blissfully unaware of many pairs of eyes directed at him, silently waiting for him to sacrifice himself like any other day. but jungwoo just stayed quiet while looking at taeyong, whom looked back at him quizzically, with his innocent eyes. 

maybe they all wordlessly agreed that the beast costume was ridiculous and nobody wanted to wear that.

but that morning jungwoo called him. he was still half awake—imprint of pillow case still fresh on his cheek—when jungwoo bombarded him with a series of a sorry from across the line. he asked for taeil’s help to cover for him as he couldn’t make it to work that day. obok, jungwoo’s dog, had been vomiting all morning and jungwoo, needless to say, was so terrified if something bad happened to the poor pup. taeil could have just hung up on him to refuse but of course he didn’t have the slightest heart for it. jungwoo sounded bit frantic over the static noise of the phone and taeil felt sorry. even if jungwoo asked for his help without obok being sick taeil would still cover for him. jungwoo was one his close friends in the workplace and taeil liked the boy so much. so without so much thought taeil agreed. their call ended with another guilty sorry and relieved thank yous from jungwoo. a few moments later when taeil became more awake he realized that it also meant he had to wear the costume.

  
  


and that was how taeil ended up standing in the middle of the lobby of the cinema, cladded in ridiculous beast costume.

see, he also ended up thinking about it.

  
  


taeil felt bit perturbed because the ridiculous costume looked more ridiculous when he wore it, at least on his mind. because this costume was perfect fit on jungwoo, the boy had a perfect height and good body proportion for this. this outfit wasn’t for taeil, when he took the costume from taeyong earlier, the manager could only look at him with sympathy in his eyes. taeil couldn't do anything now, could he? now that taeil had to fill jungwoo’s place, he had to roll up the pants.

  
  


“at least you don’t have to wear the furry jumpsuit and scary mask. that would be too much of a hassle.” doyoung said when he was doing the face paint on him.

taeil frowned, “wouldn’t that be better? save my face from the embarrassment in public.”

doyoung still had his eyes focused on his hand which was carefully applying the brown paint on taeil’s nose when he answered, “you basically applied for this job, _hyung_.” he emphasized his tone on the last word. “so be professional.”

taeil made a low grumbled noise under his breath, “but that doesn’t mean i’m willing to be dressed in ridiculous costume and letting my face painted as hideous beast. and you know i have always been professional!”

his coworker stopped before shaking his head, trying to look strict, “mm, mhm. stay still, you will ruin the paint.” but then a subtle mischievous smile broke on his face, it didn’t go unnoticed by taeil. doyoung seemed like enjoying taeil’s little misery. taeil let out a small annoyed huff.

after doyoung finished with his face paint, taeil couldn’t even bring himself to look at his reflection in the mirror. he just shot a simple _thank you_ at doyoung, then quickly dusted off the tunic he was dressed in and put on the coat. the suit was royal blue in color, there was a gold pattern design printed on it. it almost exactly resembled the one from the movie. perhaps the costume wasn’t that bad.

but taeil wasn’t confident about the face paint though, he forgot that fairy tale movie was a family-friendly show. that meant they could expect many young customers coming with their parents. and taeil didn’t think his face painted as terrifying beast could be easily accepted in the eyes of toddlers or kids.

  
  


but an overly eager hug to his legs proved him positively.

“you look so cool, mister!”

it was a boy, seemingly not older than four years old, latched his small body onto taeil’s leg. there was a wonderment in his doe eyes as he looked at taeil, like taeil was his favorite character stepped straight out of his favorite show. taeil noticed that this little boy was so beautiful up close, with his golden skin which almost looked like it was coated with honey. his sweet round face adorned with little moles littered on his cheeks, a constellation of his own. 

taeil actually had noticed this boy with a tall man came through the main door earlier. how could he not when the duo, like taeil, dressed in striking costumes. people could know what the pair were going to watch without asking them. the tall man, whom taeil assumed the father, clothed as the character the same like taeil (once again). the difference was just the man was wearing a furry mask and equally furry gloves as the paws. while the little boy dressed as chip the petite teacup, he looked utterly adorable it almost brought taeil to tears. the point was they were so eye-catching that almost everyone in the lobby turned their heads to look at them. 

it was when the tall man got distracted as he had some difficulty, with his artificial paws, taking out his card to pay for popcorn at the counter the little boy decided to broke on run into taeil’s direction.

  
  


“cooler than dad, honest!” the boy added accompanied with a bright smile.

taeil got down on his knees to look at the boy in his eye level, “thank you and you look adorable.” taeil returned the smile which was just as bright. “is this chip the teacup?”

“yes!” the boy enthusiastically answered. “chip is small, like me. and dad said chip is smart like me too. so i like him.”

before taeil could give a response to the sweet boy, a voice interrupted him, “donghyuck, don’t disappear on me like that ever again.”

taeil and the little boy—donghyuck—, turned their heads to the source of the voice. there stood a man, dressed as another beast, with a medium cup of caramel popcorn on his right hand. taeil had known the man was tall just by seeing from far but now that he stood relatively closer to taeil, he was so tall _tall_. taeil had to lift his head up a bit to look at the man masked face. taeil realized then as they standing around together, they might seem like a family doing some dress-up play.

“i’m sorry, dad. i won’t do that again, promise.” donghyuck walked to his dad and made a move to hug the man’s leg. a guilty grin stretched in between his full soft cheeks.

“it’s alright, sweetheart.” the man fondly smiled down at his son, his free hand caressed the curly hair, an overflowing affection clear on his gesture. there was no trace of fright in his expression. perhaps dressing your kid with strikingly unique costume had a plus point, like it would be easier to spot them if they went disappear as an example.

the man turned his attention to taeil, he bowed his head a little, “pardon my son if he caused you any trouble.” the man voice sounded bit muffled behind the mask.

taeil waved his hands dismissively, “no, no. it’s alright. he is a sweet boy. right, donghyuck?”

donghyuck let out a small giggle from behind his dad’s leg, suddenly being all shy with taeil at the presence of his dad, “yes.”

“then we will take our leave so you can continue your work.” the tall man said kindly, “can you say goodbye, donghyuck?”

“see you, mister.” donghyuck waved his small hand.

taeil who had noticed that the suit the man was wearing fit perfectly on his sturdy chest, steered his eyes away quickly to beam at donghyuck. “see you, donghyuck. and have a great weekend!” taeil bowed his head a little accompanied with a friendly professional smile pulled up the corners of his mouth.

the man returned his bow and then proceeded to walk into the direction of theater hall 2, donghyuck’s hand in his. taeil still had his eyes following them until they disappeared on the corner of the hallway.

what an interesting duo. 

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


it had been a busy day.

taeil was filling a spot behind the snack counter that day. he had lost count of cups he skillfully filled with soda or popcorn. his fingers were bit sticky from the tiny splashes from the drink when he was filling the cup, and the handle of scoop specifically used for caramel popcorn. the wipe cloth no longer worked to get the stickiness off of his hands as it lost its effectiveness for being used so frequently. the cinema was always so packed during weekend.

taeil had just finished serving the last customer from the line in front of him when he heard a familiar child voice.

“come on, dad! come on!” it was donghyuck. urging his dad as the man balancing a big cup of mixed popcorn with a tall cup of soda and a box of apple juice in both of his hands.

one look at them taeil knew the movie they were going to watch for the day, _incredibles 2_.

donghyuck and his dad wore the same costume this time. a striking red jumpsuit completed with black high boots, black gloves, and an eye mask. donghyuck undeniably looked adorable. from the spot taeil was standing behind the counter, he could see donghyuck bounced on his feet happily while talking animatedly with his dad. but then taeil shifted his eyes onto donghyuck’s dad and the secondhand embarrassment slowly crawling from the lowest of his spine. the dad-son duo easily gathered all attention on them with their appearance. there was hushed voices as some people talked behind their hands while looking at them. some other kids even blatantly pointed their fingers at them.

but either donghyuck or his dad didn’t seem to get bothered by the attention they were receiving. there was a confidence in their steps. the tall man only had his focus on donghyuck, affectionately catered to his son’s bubbly talk.

“is this october or something? why did people suddenly play a dress-up?”, a snort of amusement ripped taeil’s attention off the dad-son duo. there was a middle aged woman whom taeil failed to notice standing in front of him ready to take her order. taeil could only give her his professional friendly smile before proceeding to greet her.

at the back of taeil’s head, he thought, donghyuck’s dad must have made a good father.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


taeil was about to lift a spoonful of kimchi stew into his mouth when jungwoo spoke out.

“did you hear about some customers from yesterday, hyung?”

they were currently on a dinner break, each eating their meals. leisurely enjoyed their break as it was weekday so work wasn’t as busy as the weekend. taeil chewed thoroughly before swallowing down.

he cleared his throat, the soup was bit too spicy, “about what?”

jungwoo made a move to put his spoon aside as he had finished with his meal. then he started talking after gulping a mouthful of water. taeil attentively listened to his every words since taeil didn’t come to work the day before. jungwoo told him that there was a pair of a man and a little boy came to the premiere of _ralph breaks the internet_ wearing the costume of the main characters.

from that alone was enough for taeil to know that the pair was no other than donghyuck and his dad.

apparently they got more and more attention as they kept coming to the cinema wearing costumes of the characters from the movie they were going to watch. according to jungwoo, they were a total scene stealer. donghyuck, who was dressed as vanellope, looked extremely adorable (jungwoo’s words) people couldn’t help but coo at the little boy. jungwoo also said some people eventually had the courage to stop the dad-son duo asking for some pictures. _they were almost like celebrities!!_ sadly, jungwoo couldn’t take any picture to show him as he was basically working that time.

taeil could only wonder how lovely donghyuck would be adorned with little colorful hair clips.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


taeil must have seen it wrong.

there was no way some people could go an extra mile wearing an iron man costume just to watch a movie in cinema. but the small crowd gathering around donghyuck and his dad proved taeil otherwise. it was donghyuck’s dad who wore the costume and it seemed _expensive_. there was a legit light coming from the chest and the palm, almost exactly the same like the one from the movie. the mask could also move automatically. taeil couldn’t even begin to guess how much the costume would cost. but there was donghyuck’s dad, probably personally purchased that only to be wore on a movie date with his son.

donghyuck himself looked proud that his dad became the center of attention. the little boy, who was cladded in spiderman jumpsuit, was talking animatedly with other kids who had come to them because of the amazement they had on donghyuck’s dad’s costume. donghyuck didn’t seem uncomfortable the slightest bit, it must not be difficult for the sweet boy to socialize, which was admirable for a kid around his age. and just like what jungwoo had said to him, they were almost like celebrities. 

doyoung suddenly came up beside him saying, “it’s them again. if they keep doing it here they will end up helping us in increasing popularity rate of this place. taeyong will absolutely appreciate it.” taeil hummed in agreement.

enough looking at them taeil continued on his work, he just hoped that donghyuck’s dad wouldn’t have any difficulty in sitting down later.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


for the premiere of _toy story 4_ , it had been decided that all staffs were going to wear costumes. it was intended to be a fresh air for their workplace, it would get boring if they kept using their usual uniform. they all easily agreed, because other than that it would be so fun and could also attract popularity. they had to draw a lottery to know which character they would be cosplaying, fair play, so nobody could complain if they got funny character.

when taeil drew his, it was written _andy_ in the small paper. taeil was content.

  
  
  


“you look cool, mister!” a familiar voice came to taeil’s ears followed by small force slammed onto his legs. taeil could have tumbled down if it wasn’t for his good balance.

it was donghyuck, cladded in yet another costume.

the adorable little boy dressed as buzz lightyear, thankfully the material of his costume seemed to be polyester which made it easy to wear. the way donghyuck looked at taeil was almost the same like the first time he saw him, like taeil was his favorite character stepped out of his favorite show. he was also still as lovely as taeil remembered. taeil got down on donghyuck’s eye level.

“are you my long lost buzz lightyear?” taeil humored the boy and it successfully drew out an amused giggle from donghyuck.

“yes! to the infinity and beyond!!” the boy responded, ever so cheerful.

taeil’s chest swelled with affections upon seeing donghyuck adorable antics. his dad must have raised him full of love for donghyuck to grew as lovely as he was.

“donghyuck,” came the voice of the said dad.

both taeil and donghyuck whipped their heads quick to the direction of the man. taeil noticed donghyuck’s dad was dressed as woody. totally in complete gear. he then lifted his head up to look at the man’s face and his breath caught a little on his throat, _oh_.

taeil absentmindedly thought, as long as he remembered, it was the first time he actually got the clear look of donghyuck’s dad’s face.

and _goodness_ , _isn’t the man so attractive his head hurt?_

the first thing taeil noticed was his eyes. they were so deep and strong like the man could entrap somebody with his gaze alone. his attractive features were completed with firm nose and a deep beautiful cupid’s bow. taeil felt bit intimidated looking at donghyuck’s dad at first but then the man offered him a kind smile which was kind of throwing taeil off guard because of the drastic shift.

the man’s smile was warm despite his intense mien, and it eventually put taeil on ease.

“it’s a pleasure seeing you again.” the man greeted taeil. “my son seems to take a liking on you.” he added.

taeil smiled down at donghyuck whom still had his arms around taeil’s leg. “your son seems to be a very sweet child, he is so lovely.” taeil left a gentle caress upon donghyuck’s curly hair.

“he is.” the man let out a proud sigh. there was no sign of arrogance in his voice. he sounded like he was genuinely grateful that he was blessed with a child as lovely as donghyuck. it was kind of endearing that it made taeil chuckled a little.

“mister, mister. let’s take a picture together!” donghyuck eagerly suggested as he tugged on taeil’s pants lightly.

“donghyuck,” his dad reprimanded the boy softly.

remembering something, the boy looked up at taeil again with pleading eyes and added, “please..”

taeil was a second away from being melted because of the sweet little boy in front of him. he fondly agreed without so much thought.

a few pictures taken and see yous exchanged quickly since the announcement of the theater hall 3 already being opened had been heard.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


it was another day being behind the snack counter. another day filling countless cups.

taeil was so focused on his work that when a familiar face appeared in front of him, it caught him off guard a little. it was donghyuck’s dad, the last person in taeil’s line. a friendly smile spread across the man’s face. this time the man wore a kristoff costume which told taeil that the man was going to watch _frozen 2_.

taeil cleared his throat a little, “good afternoon! may i have your receipt, please?”

“sure.” the tall man gently said holding out a piece of paper for him to take.

taeil took it politely and looked at the order number to process on preparing the man’s order. he matched the number with the one shown on screen installed above his head. the screen also showed him all the order following with the name of whose it belonged. skillfully filling a big cup with mixed popcorn, a tall cup of iced tea, and taking out a box of chocolate milk from the display freezer, taeil completed the order in no time.

“a big cup of mixed popcorn, a tall cup of iced tea, and a chocolate milk for youngho.” taeil recited the order in one breath.

“that’s me, thank you very much.” donghyuck’s dad said accompanied with a smile which was still intact on his face.

taeil felt bit nervous out of nowhere, “have a great day!”

“you too.” the tall man replied and he collected his order with both of his hands. taeil found himself following the man with his eyes as he walked to where his son had been sitting. donghyuck was cladded in his olaf jumpsuit, the hoodie which olaf’s distinct carrot nose sewn onto was up on his head. honest to god, taeil would never get tired of saying the boy looked adorable. 

taeil could see the bright smile donghyuck was giving his dad. and it seemed to affect on taeil as well, as he felt himself turned soft upon the sight. jungwoo suddenly patted him on his shoulder, a curiosity in his eyes, “it’s them, right? the iron man and spiderman? the woody and buzz lightyear? who are also the ralph and vanellope?”

donghyuck’s dad—youngho—must have felt two pair of eyes directed on him since he turned his head to taeil’s (and jungwoo’s) direction before bowing his head a little at them. taeil’s neck heated up a little over the fact that he just got caught eyeing the man. he awkwardly returned the bow nevertheless.

“yes.” taeil said breathlessly to answer jungwoo. he stole a few glances at the wide shoulders of youngho which getting smaller as the man walked away with his son.

_youngho_.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


taeil felt like he had been staring at his laptop screen for one day straight. the reviews he was writing were almost done. but he couldn’t bring himself to finish them all in one go as his eyes felt so hurt. he made a move to rub his eyes making the glasses he was wearing askew. he forgot to buy a new eyedrops the night before he pulled up an all-nighter working on his task. he decided he needed a small break, the deadline was still in a day anyway.

the lock screen of his phone showed _8:09 am_ when he pressed on the phone button. taeil was a bit surprised upon seeing it since he didn’t expect that it had passed the dawn. it also meant he had been staying up for almost twenty four hours. he got up from his chair and stretched out a little before making his way to the window to open the blackout curtains.

it was already bright outside he had to squint his eyes at the sudden invasion of light. the sunlight came flooding into his living room. he slid open the door to his balcony and stepped out. the outside air felt so fresh inhaled through his nostrils since he had been cooped up in his room for god knows how long. looking at the lively and cozy neighborhood bustling with the sunday morning activities taeil thought he could use some walk to the minimarket around the corner to stock up his eyedrops. 

  
  
  
  


taeil ended up purchasing some snacks he didn’t know if he actually wanted beside the eyedrops. the lack of sleep must have taken a toll on him. when he came out of the minimarket, the morning market across the street came into his view. the aroma of freshly baked fish-shaped bread and cooked rice cakes wafted through him, making him craved for them out of sudden. taeil made sure to look on his left and right before crossing the road.

  
  


taeil was busy mulling over which rice cake he should take home he failed to notice a presence which was approaching him from behind. until a voice got his attention,

“you look so cool, mister.”

taeil whipped his head to the source of voice because he knew this sentence. however, the sound of the voice wasn’t the same as the one who usually said it. and youngho’s figure came into his peripheral, there was an unmistakable mischievousness in his eyes, his lips formed an easy friendly smile. his son was nowhere in sight. the man looked too clean and immaculate for a person functioning in 8 am. totally in contrast with taeil, who still had his crumpled hoodie from last night, his hair disheveled as he kept unconsciously running his hand through it while he worked, his round glasses perched on his nose—which was to conceal the steadily forming eyebags—bit askew. and _yet_ what youngho just said again?

after recovering from the shock of meeting donghyuck’s attractive dad and receiving such a playful greeting, taeil gave the man a small unsure smile, “oh, hello." he hadn’t processed fully yet when he added, “and you too.” he breathed out.

the friendly smile which was drawn on youngho’s feature turned into a gentle one.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  
  


(taeil is lounging on a bean bag in their balcony, a laptop on his lap. there is a document file pulled up on the screen, halfway done. while his son is leaning heavily on his shoulder, busy with his switch. it is a cozy quiet afternoon.

the spring breeze washes over them and it spreads his son’s sweet smell around. it brings some memories to taeil.

“hey, donghyuck?” he softly starts.

“hmm?” the teen hums, eyes never leaving the device on his hands.

taeil chuckles a little under his breath before continuing, “do you remember your dad once dressed you up as vanellope from _wreck it ralph_?”

the busy fingers which have been tapping away abruptly stop. the weight on taeil’s shoulder suddenly disappears.

“wait, what?”)

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> *let's we all pretend that those mentioned movies above released closely with each other aha
> 
> **small trivias!!  
> \- taeil actually almost thought that youngho was a stand-in to replace him when he came dressed as beast that day if it wasn’t for hyuckie beside him.  
> \- when i wrote about the iron man costume, i had pcy’s costume from 2017 sm halloween party in mind  
> \- as hinted at the last part, taeil also worked freelance as movie review writer (though he then resigned from his work at the cinema after he got married :D but still hanging out with his ex coworkers as they were also his friends)
> 
> *once again, happy birthday mi!! this was inspired by one of your old tweets, you would never expect that i still remember, would you? well i have always had this in mind and finally it takes a shape now<3 hope this can light up your birthday<3
> 
> *and i will stealthily input an advanced birthday wish for taeil the man of my dreams here aha. happy birthday moon taeil!! (at this point people will realize i only write for particular dates heh)
> 
> if you read until here thankyou so much!!<3 kudos and comments are very much appreciated!!! also listen, i would even love reading keysmashes on the comments<3


End file.
